Ivory Taylor ties a ribbon her daughter made on the porch of her home where three young adults were shot in Millville Wednesday. Thursday October, 4, 2012, 2012 (Staff Photo by Cathy Cramer/South Jersey Times)

MILLVILLE — The 3rd Street area has seen its fair share of violence over the years, with shootings occurring in six out of the past 10 months.

One local pastor has identified the reasons behind it.

One local senator wants to put an end to it.

The Violence

The most recent incident occurred on early Wednesday morning, which sent three people to Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Anthony Fox was on his aunt’s porch on North 3rd Street around 2:30 a.m. with Denard Davis when an unknown suspect shot at them repeatedly.

Although he is in the hospital with gunshot wounds and a collapsed lung, his sister, Kaylin Fox, assured that he’s getting better.

As for Davis, Kaylin said that he opened his eyes for the first time Thursday morning.

Police also found Brooke Hayes, a Bridgeton woman, shot in the head on the sidewalk outside the Millville home.

Those three haven’t been the only victims of violence in the neighborhood, though.

Last September, a car passing down the 300 block Vine Street was shot at around 2 a.m.

The August before that, a 24-year-old Millville man was shot in the head on the 800 block of North 2nd Street, receiving a skull fracture but surviving.

Similar reports of violence occurred in June, April and January, including April 24 when The News reported, “The participants in Tuesday night gunfire on North 3rd Street managed to hit everything except for each other, including a woman’s car and a child’s bedroom window.”

He hopes to create a task-force that will take a hands-on approach to crime.

Van Drew knows and has spent time with people in the neighborhood and said that

there are a lot of good people in the area that don’t deserve the environment where they find themselves.

“They’re held hostage to these gang-bangers that are in the area and a lot of this isn’t necessarily hidden,” Van Drew said.

The state senator hopes to get all levels of government, including the attorney general, county prosecutor’s office, state police, municipal government and community leaders involved in this task-force to deter crime with a multifaceted approach.

“We had a discussion and we’re waiting for the city to get back to us,” Van Drew said.

For it to work, though, it will take everybody’s support, the senator said, especially the local pastors and community leaders.

Pastor Ennis has personal stake

One such community leader is Rev. David Ennis, pastor of In His Presence Worship Center, located directly behind the scene of last Wednesday’s shooting.

He didn’t learn about the shooting until somebody stopped and asked him about it in the street.

“There was no indication that anything has gone down that close to the church,” the pastor said.

Ennis started preaching in 2000 and established his church on 3rd and Broad streets in 2002.

Through his church, he hopes to help the neighborhood and make the environment harder for violence to thrive in.

“When you devalue human life, I have a very strong opposition to that type of behavior,” Ennis said.

Tragedy reached his own life when his brother succumbed to gun violence.

He also claims that the greed of landlords overshadows wanting to find the best tenant for a home. Instead of renting to a productive citizen, Ennis argues, the house is rented to anybody that can simply pay the rent.

“Eventually you’re going to rent that house to somebody who is going to cause a problem,” Ennis said.

Ennis uses the metaphor that one cracked and unfixed window can lead to the total destruction of a community.

“There’s a lot of cracked windows, and since they were not repaired, we are now suffering the consequences,” Ennis said.

It is this lack of motivation and standards that, to Ennis, is the biggest problem with the neighborhood.

A circle of prayer at the home where three young adults were shot in Millville Wednesday. From left are; Elfim Sherrer, Ivory Taylor, Pastor Claude Taylor, Pastor David Ennis, Ivory Taylor praying for all those involved. Thursday October, 4, 2012, 2012 (Staff Photo by Cathy Cramer/South Jersey Times)

Ennis wants people to believe in themselves again and be exceptional.

“We don’t expect them to do any better. We don’t expect them to rise above,” Ennis said.

“Somewhere, somehow, we have got to lift the standard in this area. There is no standard.”

He wants to get the people of the county motivated and start dreaming again, which he feels will reduce the oppression and violence.

“We criticize these young men for their pants hanging down, but if we lift up their dreams, their pants will follow,” Ennis said.

He doesn’t blame the city commissioners or anybody in power. Ennis explains that it’s a lot about personal responsibility and the atmosphere.

In His Presence Worship Center even took responsibility last summer for keeping clean a four-block area in the city.